Honey Cinnamon Zwetschgen and Hazelnut Cream Tart

After my return from Dubai I was thinking of taking a few days out before jumping into the familiar high powered routine I usually have. We arrived just in time for a bank holiday in the middle of the week and there was nothing standing in the way of a few extra days of tranquility and lounging around the house recuperating from the intense eight days in Dubai. I was not tired nor did I feel drained, on the contrary I was full of energy and motivated, raring to shift into sixth gear and zoom ahead.

I realize however, that I need to force myself into a few days of rest to renew and restore the super battery pack I seem to have been born with. Furthermore, after trips like this one, where I come back with so many impressions, I often need time to process them and take them in, writing notes to make sure I do not forget the details.

Upon arrival Tom surprised us at the station. Originally he was due to arrive from Stockholm, where he works during the week, the following day, but seeing him standing on the platform lifted my spirits. Tom often plays the part of an anchor in my life. There are times when this irritates the hell out of me, as when I am on a roll the anchor feels heavy and burdens me. Truth is, in the back of my head I know, I need him to remind me to “take a nap”, “take a bath” or to “just look out of the window.” I need him to slow my bulldozing ahead and to take time to rest the brain and body to be “more constructive and creative” as he says.

Over the years I have taught myself to create islands of serenity for myself throughout the day, however there are times when you need more than an island. You need a continent where you reside in your pajamas, do nothing but read the weekend paper from page to page, take naps and eat waffles all day long. Away from the notebook, from the social networking, post-processing, proposal writing, workshop planning, sponsor searching, HTML tormenting, blog caring days that keeps me happily moving ahead. I love every aspect of what I do and I believe that is where the danger lies … it is hard to know where and when to draw the line. It’s all fun, isn’t it?

And when you are having fun why would you want to stop it, right? That’s where my wise husband will say “too much of a good thing also spoils the fun!” That simple!

A few days later, as we sat together with our calendars, coordinating our schedules and travel plans for next year, he murmured,

“I guess the rule applies here too!”

I looked questioningly at him. He shrugged indicating to the handful of weekends we had together in the first quarter of the new year. “Too much of a good thing spoils the fun!” he said pointing to both of us and we laughed. From Stockholm to Weimar to London, Dubai, Switzerland, Dublin and back to Weimar we’ll be covering several kilometers again and our time is so limited. It’s good, it’s bad, we have the ups and the downs and we make the best of it - on our comfort continent, in pajamas and some sweet treat like this sensational tart.

Ilva, Jeanne, Jamie and I are now well underway with the organization and planning of our next From Plate to Page workshop. Dublin, Ireland in May 2013 is the place to be next year as we take our hands-on and power packed workshop series to the wonderful green country. If you have not already, register your interest here. We are enhancing the program, bringing on new fantastic features to continue our very popular guest writer series and we have ironed out the last bugs on our sparkly new website. As the email correspondence between the four of us pick up momentum we are excited to share all the good news as many things are taking shape. Our new website allows us to be more interactive with our readers, participants and alumni, which was an important reason for us to change the style of the site. We are kicking this off with a pretty sensational challenge for all of our readers. We want you to be creative and be inspired! We are topping it all off with a fabulous prize worth about 200 Euros! Do not miss this sensational challenge.

For the shortcrust pastry, sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle in the salt and cinnamon, then add 2-3 tablespoons water and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick. Line a 25cm diameter or a rectangular flat tart pan. Press the pastry in firmly and leave the excess hanging over the edge. Place pan in refrigerator and chill until the filling is prepared.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.

Make the hazelnut cream by pulsing the hazelnuts finely in a food processor. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla seeds, flour and and fleur de sel and continue to pulse until combined thoroughly. The consistency of the mixture should be thick like pudding. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Assemble the tart, by brushing the the base and the sides of the prepared tart pastry with the egg wash. Pour the pastry cream into the tart and smooth it out with a spatula.. Arrange the zwetschgen slices on top of the cream, tucking the thin edge under the thicker. Cut off any excess pastry hanging from the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the cream is golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and brush the top and the border with the warm honey.

Notes: Serve the tart with some cream Chantilly or vanilla ice cream.

Verdict

Somewhere between frangipane and a pudding the filling is luscious and nutty, while the juicy zwetschgen bring fruity flavor to the tart. I love this shortcrust pastry recipe as it is flakey, crumbly and not too sweet. The recipe will work for sweet and savory tarts perfectly.

With this sweet treat I wish all my Indian friends and readers a very Happy Diwali! My warmest wishes to everyone - hope you lit up the sky with sparkles and crackers!

Finally, the latest edition of the Monthly Mingle is over at The Well-Seasoned Chef. Excited to have Susan hosting this with a fantastic theme - Pot Pies - cosy and comforting (it also complements the Plate to Page challenge - just saying!). You’ll find all the details on the announcement page. See you there!

It would be terrible to become burnt out on all this fun, so driven that you bypass the small times, silences and beauty out the window. Internally, you have found the little voice that tells you slow down a bit, recharge and wonderfully a dear husband that helps you do the same. You make it work Meeta because your heart knows what is important. Like tarts, tales and schedules. xxxo

Happy festive greetings to you and yours Meeta! I feel so happy when I get to read about the P2P meets and workshops. What a wonderful group of friends and family support you have. Here is wishing you many more success in all your endeavors. Love the styling and the crispy tart.

Meeta, this was a beautiful post in so many ways. You and Tom balance each other out just as JP and I do... and it is necessary for powerhouses like you and for dreamers like me. And I love the idea of having a continent where we separate ourselves from the world and sit in our jammies and eat waffles all day! Welcome home, baby, and I love when you post not only gorgeous desserts like this one - which I want to make - but calming, tender, beautiful thoughts and photos...

I love the way you describe us. What I even love more is that the dreamer in me also works as a wonderful balance and inspiration for me. I would give you a free pass to my continent Saucy. We'd fill it with giggles and good food!

You've got a wise husband, Meeta! You've also made such a gorgeous tart (and been doing great things with the P2P site)! It can be so difficult to switch off and take time to relax (especially when you're so enthusiastic), but somehow it feels extra good to start fully energized after a little break!

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...